UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A team of four from the Penn State student chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) recently won the DBIA Northeast Regional Competition.

Julia Brooks, an undergraduate in architecture and public relations manager of the student organization, explained, "The contest involved developing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a (fictitious) company to develop a dormitory building on the College of William & Mary campus."

Architectural engineering undergraduate Nick Zitterbart recalled, "We utilized our architecture and engineering backgrounds to collaborate on different concepts such as relevant previous projects, design scenarios for a dormitory, a design and construction schedule and a comparative structural estimate. We were challenged in many aspects of the RFQ, but our teamwork and different mindsets allowed us to push forward in the process."

Zitterbart noted this was his first opportunity to work closely with architecture students. "Every one of us has different past experiences and that definitely provided an atmosphere where we could all come together as a team and combine those ideas -- a true design-build partnership."

Competing teams' RFQs were submitted to a DBIA professional jury for review. The projects were awarded points based on the composition and content of the RFQ, and Penn State received the most points.

The team was awarded $1,500, which will be used to offset the costs to compete in the national contest at the DBIA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on Nov. 4.

Brooks will travel with Zitterbart and his teammates, architectural engineering undergraduate Kevin Barth and architecture undergraduates A.J. Mazzacano and David Schaare; DBIA student chapter President Laura Wake-Ramos, an undergraduate in architecture; and faculty adviser Craig Dubler, an architectural engineering alumnus and design engineer in the Office of Physical Plant.